Federal work requirements for food assistance kicked back in this week for certain Michigan residents in eight counties and one city, meaning thousands of able-bodied adults now have to log work or training hours to keep receiving help buying groceries. The change took effect Nov. 1 in Alger, Arenac, Iosco, Iron, Luce, Montmorency, Oceana and Roscommon counties, plus Bay City.
The newly covered areas had previously held a federal waiver tied to local unemployment levels, but that exemption has lapsed, according to Detroit Free Press. The rules apply specifically to able-bodied adults ages 18 to 64 who don’t have dependents under 14 living with them, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Administration notified the state about the updated requirements.
What Recipients Now Have to Do
Qualifying adults must work or volunteer a certain number of hours each month to stay enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Specifically, recipients may meet the requirement by working at least 80 hours a month, participating in an approved employment and training program for 80 hours monthly, or volunteering for hours calculated by dividing the household’s monthly food assistance benefit by Michigan’s minimum wage, according to mlive.com.
Not everyone affected by the change has to meet those hours, though. Some recipients are exempt from the work requirements altogether, including people who are physically or mentally unable to work and people who are pregnant, per the same report. Able-bodied adults without dependents under 14 can also receive benefits for up to three months within a three-year period without meeting the work rules before losing eligibility.
Why Some Areas Still Have a Waiver
The federal government can temporarily waive the work requirements in areas where the unemployment rate tops 10%, per Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services. Seven counties and five cities still carry that exemption: Alcona, Cheboygan, Mackinac, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Presque Isle and Schoolcraft counties, along with Detroit, Eastpointe, Flint, Jackson and Saginaw, according to the mlive report. USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration confirms that states may request such a waiver for residents living in areas with unemployment above that 10% threshold, per the agency’s own guidance…